Building Automation for Boston

A major provider of building automation, security systems and energy solutions has installed a $2.1 million building automation system (BAS) in the recently completed Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Containing 1.7 million sq. ft., the new convention center is the largest meeting facility in New England and has the capacity and services to host tens of thousands of people under one roof.

To effectively manage all the systems in place at this massive building, the owners, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) needed a versatile and reliable BAS.

MCCA asked the supplier to deliver an integrated BAS solution that would allow multiple third-party systems to interoperate and be controlled through a single front-end system. The vendor leveraged the facility’s Ethernet backbone network and installed its products to handle building controls and integration with programmable logic control (PLC) system to address central plant requirements.

With air circulation a critical factor in a facility this size, the system controls 29 air handling units (AHU) and automatically sends alarms to alert convention center staff in the event of a problem. A graphical user interface makes it easy for facilities staff to quickly monitor multiple zones within the convention center. The maker of the system also trained the convention center’s staff to manage and maintain the facility throughout the year to meet specific needs.

Using the BAS, the convention center’s staff has flexibility to monitor and manage a wide range of systems and operations, such as HVAC equipment, fire alarms, carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide levels, interfaces for fuel oil and refrigerants, data transfers and generators. Key benefits of the system for the staff are centralized and remote system access, interoperability among multiple systems, expandability and reliability, ease of use and self-maintenance.

Although this public works project was many years in the making, the BAS supplier had just 18 months to complete its work on the facility—and delivered the building controls project on time and on budget.

For more about BAS from TAC click here .

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